The battlefield had already changed beyond recognition. The red plains disappeared and only soil and dust remained. The sun struggled to keep the area illuminated, but the clashes of the Immortal Establishment cultivators helped clear the area due to the intense winds that resulted.Leon was on the losing end of his fight. His opponent was a hard counter for him. Leon relied on his Body Strengthening to enhance his basic abilities, while his enemy was a one trick pony who relied on his speed. Leon was already full of cuts and injuries, as blood trickled all over his body, and his eyes started to lose focus due to the blood loss. The only things keeping him conscious were his memories.
Helplessness. The memories of his helplessness once No-bō revealed himself to be the teacher he had trusted and aimed to be like surged through his mind. The memories of the desperate actions he took in order to accelerate his cultivation and catch up to Ed and the others who had all disappeared in order to grow stronger. The memories of the time he spent with the one he loved…
Leon steeled his resolve, while at the same time he lowered his guard. He felt sweet relief, as it took him a great deal of power just to keep holding his hands up, protecting his vitals.
"Have you finally given up?" his opponent asked, but Leon was too weak to answer. He raised his head and rubbed his eye, all in order to get a good look at his opponent…in order to catch every motion.
Leon exhaled, and soon after, his enemy rushed in, a smile on his face. He thought about how he lucked out with such an enemy, a weak enemy. He was glad to see that his opponent was not moving. It meant that he would finish him off with a single attack. He didn"t worry about what was coming next, as he had full faith in the sect master. The invincible sect master would surely decimate all the enemies. All he needed to do was to kill one of the strong ones and retreat.
With such thoughts in his heads, the young man accelerated to his maximum speed and stabbed towards Leon"s heart. Yet, just one moment before contact, Leon undid his Body Strengthening, which had bulked up his body, and turned back to normal. Thus, the rapier, which should have pierced the heart, ended up going through the left shoulder instead.
The young found himself frozen with shock as he realized he was now open for any attack. His eyes moved slowly, searching for the position of Leon"s sword. Beads of sweat rolling down his back.
But, soon he regained his smile.
Leon was incapable of moving. He was out of energy, he was too tired, he wanted to lay down and sleep. But, he didn"t give in to the thoughts that plagued his mind. He was a head taller than his enemy, so he looked down on him; eyes full of determination. He knew that he couldn"t kill his opponent, but at the very least, he wanted to make the battle easier for the ally that would come after him.
Leon grabbed the elbow of his enemy, and with the last bit of willpower he had, he tried to twist it off. But, it wouldn"t budge.
"Ha…hahaha! Of course, you can"t hurt me!" his enemy laughed, but his face was stricken with worry and fear. "With your weak body, you can"t go through the defenses of my equipment!"
The young man pulled out his rapier from Leon"s body, and this time aimed for his heart. There was no escape now; Leon was out of Qi.
Leon closed his eyes and submitted himself to death. He counted down the seconds left before the rapier pierced through his heart, this time killing him for sure. Yet, just as he thought "zero", he heard the crackle of thunder and the sound of bones breaking.
Leon opened his eyes to see bright golden short hair buzzing in the air. A figure as tall as him towered over his enemy, as its fist lodged its self deep into the enemy"s face.
"Griffin…" Leon muttered and he felt his knees buckle, yet before they could hit the ground, he felt a hand support him.
"Hang in there buddy," Griffin said. "Liz is on her way, she"ll help you. You don"t want to show her your disappointing side, right?"
Leon couldn"t help but smile as he listened to his friend. He could feel a Qi coming their way that was all too familiar. Liz approached him, and without saying a word, carried him. His blood seeped into her clothes, turning her into a crimson maiden, carrying a battle-scarred knight. She retreated with Leon and sent one final look to Griffin, a look of grat.i.tude. Her face was wet with tears.
"Why did you b.u.t.t in?!" the young man stood up, clutching his swollen cheek. "I was about to finish him off, and that would have guaranteed me a grandmaster"s position in the sect! After all, Most of them are already dead!"
"Why? Because I"m his friend," Griffin answered. "And it"s too bad I was fighting some of the minions otherwise I would have fought you instead."
"Don"t get c.o.c.ky just because you got a lucky shot in," the young man stood up, his black eyes full of fury, and a tinge of fear that had stuck there from the moment he couldn"t kill Leon.
He accelerated once again into full speed and disappeared from sight. It was as if he never existed before. Not even the sound of his clothes could be heard.
Griffin closed his eyes and exhaled. Then, as he took in a deep breath through his nose, he twisted his body and clad it in Golden lightning. He squeezed his fist hard against his palm and threw a punch right behind him. The crackle of thunder exploded as his fist made contact with something…his enemy.
"How did you find me?!" the young man said as he held his broken nose and looked bewildered.
"It"s easy; I fought people faster and stronger than you. Plus, cowardly people tend to attack from the back," Griffin said as he stared at the young man. "I could tell you know. You chose Leon because you believed he was the easiest prey."
Griffin disappeared from the young man"s sight, and before the latter could look around, he felt a major force collide with the back of his head, sending him into a spiral of confusion and pain.
"How does it feel, to fight someone stronger than you?"
The young man, once again, felt a great impact in his abdomen as he was struggling to stand up. The impact was powerful enough to lift him into the air.
He plummeted into the ground and struggled to turn and lay on his back. He was down to a tenth of his Qi, as it was consumed from trying to fend off against Griffin"s lightning.
Griffin walked in a slow and rhythmic manner. The sound of his leather shoes tapping the ground seemed like a nightmare to the young man, who looked at him in fear.
Griffin stood on top of his enemy and looked down at him. Then, without warning, he stomped on his head, as a great lightning bolt descended from the sky. His enemy was dead.